Great British bake off back 5th August

[Helgathehairy]

Seems slightly earlier than usual? Very excited anyway!

Yay! I love Mel and Sue's blazers almost as much as I love the cakes

I thought that Helga but have duly noted it in my diary!

I had my baby on August 10th 2013 and that year I'm certain it wasn't on till a week or two after that. I'm not sure about last year though.

Fab, cannot wait! I only got into the Bake Off last year and absolutely loved it. Love Mel and Sue too

So so sooo excited! Apparently in the first episode they're doing a Victoria sponge.

So lots of opportunities for saggy sponges with stingy jam. Oooh and people who put the cream on when the sponge is still warm and it evaporates!

Definitely seems earlier; I remember watching it last year as it was getting colder and watching them in their over-heating marquee feeling a little bit jealous!

At the risk of being boled, baked, fried and roasted, I had a read about the contestants in the Daily Mail and think we have the ingredients for a very good series, I am really looking forward to it.

I am beyond excited.

Yay, v exciting!

Never followed it properly but will do this year as I'll be on maternity leave! Very exciting.

emotions any particularly interesting contestants?

covered Paul, Tamal, Marie and Ugne stood out for me as ones to watch and I'm looking forward to seeing how they get on.

Whoo hoo! Can't wait. I thought the contestants looked good too. I loved Nancy last year though, she's hard to beat.

Definitely earlier it started three weed before I moved abroad last year!
Back in the uk now and excited!

Love the Bake Off! Although it's better a few weeks in when it's whittled down to a more manageable number of contestants and you can actually follow who's who.

this is one reason why i hate paying the licence fee, bloody bake off and cookery shows. they need their own (subscription) channel there are so many of them.

people going ape shit crackers over a flan

It's quite simple southeastastra - don't watch it, it's not compulsory

South perhaps this isn't the thread for you, then?

Really looking forward to this. Have stocked up on baking ingredients for the inevitable baking frenzy that will follow in my house!

I love it! It is the single only programme the kids will watch with me.

I don't like any cookery programmes not masterchef or anything, only this one.

Can't wait!! I was pregnant last year & had to have plenty of cakes, cookies & pastries around me whilst watching it. There's no way I could watch it without a cake in hand!

Goodbye I don't like many others either - although I do enjoy Australian Masterchef.

I'm really excited too!

I've been watching American Masterchef. It has a good cast this season.

Hopefully GBBO will be good too.

Can't wait! It does always seem to start earlier every summer but perhaps it's just my imagination.

I don't watch any other reality TV but GBBO is exactly what I pay my licence fee for. Cakes, humour, squirrels with huge testicles, people in a tent while the rain pours down, hugs - could it be any more British?

I don't want contestants to be picked on anything other than their baking ability.
They will ruin it if they start to pick people based on personality,whether they will fight,their 'sex factor'...
I can't wait to see all those soggy bottoms though!

Looking forward to it!